🕓Ethiopia: 5-Day Bahir Dar, Gondar, Simien, and Lalibela Tour

Day 1Early in the morning, depart on a flight for Bahir Dar. After arrival, take a boat trip on Lake Tana to visit a selection of the monasteries hidden on the islands and shores of this sacred lake. Visit the Zegie Peninsula and the monastery of Azuwa Maryam and Ura Kidane Mehret and the outlet of the Blue Nile River. In the afternoon, drive out to the Blue Nile Water Fall for a short hike in the area. Overnight Bahir DarDay 2After breakfast, head to north to Gondar town. The 3-hours drive will take you through rural villages offering wonderful insight into the landscape. After briefly settling in your hotel, explore the sites of Gondar, including a visit to the Royal Enclosure, with six castles and several other buildings. Additionally, visit Fasilidas’s Pool, still used for Timket celebrations today, Ras Gimb Palace Museum and the Debre Birhan Selassie church, with the most famous ceiling in Ethiopia. Overnight GondarDay 3We will have an excursion to Debark in the Semien Mountains, This range lies north of Gondar and many of the peaks rise above 4300m, with the highest peck of Mt. Ras Dashen at 4560m being the fourth highest mountain in the African continent. On the way, there maybe the opportunity to visit a Falasha village (Jewish community) who are thought to have arrived in Ethiopia 3,000 years ago at the time of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. This afternoon we will take a short hike for a couple of hours to enjoy the wilderness of this mountain region, and here both gelada monkeys and lammergeier bird can often be spotted. The combination of these tracks and the spectacular scenery make for excellent walking. Overnight GondarDay 4Depart from Gondar on a morning flight to Lalibela, the most famous of all of the Ethiopian historical sites. After lunch, start your tour of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. Explore the Northwestern Cluster of churches, Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel, Bet Mikael and Bet Golgotha (entry not permitted for women) as well as Bet Gabriel-Rufael, Bet Merkorios, Bet Amanual, and Bet Abba Libanos. Overnight LalibelaDay 5 In the morning after breakfast visit the Southeastern Cluster of churches Bet Giyorgis which was constructed in honor of the patron saint of Ethiopia Saint George. Finally on the way to the airport visit Nakutolab, a cave church. which s named after its constructor, the nephew and successor of king Lalibela. After visiting Nakutolab you will drive to airport to your domestic flight and return to Addis AbabaEnd of the tour